Parental monitoring longitudinally associates with reduced risk of adolescent mental health problems

Abstract

Introduction: Prior research examining the impact of parenting on adolescent mental health has been limited by the use of cross-sectional designs and small or clinical samples. Methods: We used data (N = 6,212) from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a UK-based birth cohort study. Results: We found longitudinal evidence that parental monitoring in late childhood/early adolescence (ages 9.5–13.5), but not the emotional quality of the parent-child relationship, reduces the likelihood of offspring major depressive disorder (Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.64, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 0.56 – 0.76), anxiety disorder (OR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.53 – 0.69), and self-harm (OR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.57 – 0.75) at age 18. Associations did not vary according to adolescent sex. Discussion: Findings indicate that parenting monitoring may be important for later adolescent mental health. Future research is needed to understand why this aspect of parenting is associated with better adolescent outcomes.

Keywords

• Self-injurious behaviour
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Parenting
• Adolescence
• ALSPAC